DEFINITE LAVA FLOW

Chronicle (Levin), 15 February 1949, Page 5

DEFINITE LAVA FLOW

NEW PLYMOUTH, Feb. 14. An assurance that there are delinitisigns of flows of lava from the cratc; of Mt. Ngaurulioe was given by volcan ologists after an inspection of the ' slopes during the weekend. "This was the first lava flow seen on the mountain," said the managei of the Chateau Tongariro, Mr. A. C. Hill, last night. "The movement oi lava was seen on Saturdav and yester day and it is said to have come weil down the scoria-studded slopes. 55 Mr. Hill reported seeing a "river of fire' on Fridav morning which he considered to be an iinmense flow of lava, for the flight of red-hot boulders was marked by different plienomena. Discovery of the lava flow was confirmed by Dr. D. E. White, - United States gcologist, , in a telephone mterview earlV this morning: "The lava, which we inspected, had flowed down about a mile from the crater on the north-western slopes of the mountain,' said Dr. White, who was accompanied by two other American geologists, Dr. Preston Cloud and Mr. Charles Johnson. The party* led by Mr. J. Healv, Governuieut volcanologist' at Rotorua, made its inspection on Saturday. _ - On Sundfiy tliey sephrated, Dr. White returning to the lava flow to make t'urther investigations, while Dr. White and -Mr. Johnston were members of a' party who climbed to within 400 feet of t'he crater flow, -which- was described by Dr. White as a moderate one, - which essentially had reached its nltimate liniit, unless more lava was sent "to join it. The interesting poinl was that lava had issued from the moin crater and had lapped over the lowest point' of the rim. That was not usuallv the case, said Dr. White, for most of the lava flows broke their way out from the side of the mountain. The climb undertaken by Dr. Cloud and his companions on Sunday was a particularly dangerous one. The climbers were afforded shelter from discharge of the mountain by big boulders, but as there was only limited cover for the last 100 feet, they decided it would be fooi hardy to venture further..